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Re: Route check - Portishead to Cardiff

Sensible because you are running out of time if you want to use your boat properly this season. It's already September and if recent years are anything to go by then October can also have nice weather. Try and do as much as possible between now and the end of October before the weather turns in November where opportunities to go out are few and far between if at all.

Build yourself an outboard stand out of 2 x 4 and get the largest builders flexi tub you can find and you can take the outboard home at the end of the season and learn to winterize it, service it etc.

Re: Route check - Portishead to Cardiff

Fantastic, it'll make your trips out so much more pleasurable knowing you have a get out of jail card. It's an asset. It'll always be worth money and they sell very easily if you sell the boat/buy something else.

I have my sails, the diesel donk and a little 3hp for the tender I can always use.

Re: Route check - Portishead to Cardiff

If you put a plate on then make sure it's fixed to the swim platform so not to slide out with up and down and rocking motion, wood would be ideal if you want to protect the plastic and give the clamps something to bite in to. As always there are people out there with more knowledge then me.

Just a suggestion, but you've probably already thought of it but tie a line onto the outboard then somewhere onto the boat incase you drop the outboard when attatching it. Don't want to drop a grand into the Bristol Channel.

Re: Route check - Portishead to Cardiff

Yep, insurance covers it as part, up'd the rate of cover, only cost a £15 admin fee.

Final question... I know ideally, the thing is meant to be flushed EVERY TIME it's used... but that gets a bit impractical (dragging it off, it's quite cumbersome, and hooking up to a trolly + water)... so what would be a good flush rate? Once per month? 3 months? 6? It's not gonna be used other than to ensure it's kept alive.

It's now currently sat full of Portishead marina. Should I just fire it up once every 2 weeks, and flush @ 3 months? (It has a first service at 3 months, so that'll sort it for the first time).

Re: Route check - Portishead to Cardiff

I wouldn't worry about running it up every couple of weeks, they are pretty reliable and start easily. Running it up often for short periods can coke the plug up making it harder to start when you need it. As for flushing it, ideally after every time but as you'll only use it occasionally (most of the salt water will drain out) . If you only use a handful of times a year I would just flush it mid season and at end of the season. If it was on a tender you used weekly then more.

Some more Tom's tips (as you haven't had any other replies)...

Don't keep much fuel in it, it will go stale and make it hard to fire. I assume you carry spare fuel for the boat so use that if you need fuel for the aux. Im also assuming you top your tank up with the spare fuel and get fresh back up fuel regularly (so you don't have old fuel in the locker). When you do run it, turn the fuel tap off and run the carb dry. Oh carry some spare spark plugs and a spanner, 9.9 times out of 10 a new plug works wonders if it's hard to start, also check what the manual says about storing it, I don't think 4 strokes should be on their sides (if you keep it in a locker).